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6 Best Store-Bought Low-Carb Tortilla Chips For Easy Snacking
Sydney Wexler and Merve BasogluPublished: January 28, 2022
Our picks
How to choose
Key takeaways
If you’re following a low-carb diet, don’t rule tortilla chips out.
While finding low-carb tortilla chips can pose a challenge in the grocery store, all of the zestiest salsas, freshest homemade guacamoles, and creamiest dips deserve a great tortilla chip.
While a low-carb diet may leave you wondering if tortilla chips are still an option for your snack time, there are a few options on the market that will satisfy your low-carb crunchy snack needs.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to shopping for low-carb tortilla chips, plus our list of the 6 best low-carb tortilla chips, all with less than 16g of net carbs per serving.
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How to choose low-carb tortilla chips
Besides carb content, there are other considerations to make when shopping for tortilla chips. Here’s how to choose a tortilla chip that meets your dietary needs and values:
What to look for:
- Whole grains. While you might not expect tortilla chips to be a whole grain food, some brands are. Research suggests that incorporating more whole grains into your diet can reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. To find a tortilla chip option with whole grains, avoid labels with ‘degerminated’ and look for ‘whole corn’ as an ingredient (1, 2).
- Fiber. Fiber has been linked to a reduced risk of several chronic diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It’s also beneficial for digestive health, promotes fullness, and can be helpful for blood sugar management. Per day, the recommended amount is 25g for women and 38g for men (3).
What to limit:
- Carb content. While the standard recommendation for carb intake is 45-65% of daily total calories, a low carbohydrate diet is comprised of 26% carbs. When following a keto diet, the cutoff is even lower, at 5-10% of your total daily calorie needs. The exact amount may vary depending on your dietary needs or what a nutrition professional may recommend, so keep this in mind when choosing a low-carb option (4).
- Refined oils. Oil is a common ingredient in most store-bought tortilla chips. If you’re looking for a healthier option, the type of oil and the amount of saturated vs. unsaturated fat it provides is important to consider. Research links oils higher in trans fats and saturated fat with an increased risk of heart disease. Aim for choices that are free of trans fats and lower in saturated fat, with 5% of the recommended daily value of saturated fat or less (5).
- Sodium content. Packaged savory snacks often contain high levels of sodium and tortilla chips are no different. High intakes of sodium are linked to high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that adults consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day (6).
- Level of processing. Like any pre-packaged food, tortilla chips go through processing, but some are more processed than others. Because ultra-processed foods are usually higher in calories, sugar, refined oils, and other additives, they are associated with increased caloric intake, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. If you’re looking for ways to limit consumption of ultra-processed foods, the GreenChoice app is a quick and easy way to see how processed the food you’re eating is and show you healthier alternatives (7, 8, 9, 10).
Our picks
The products included in this article were selected based on the following:
All of the products on this list contain less than 16 grams of net carbs per serving. We also highlighted our top picks based on sodium, fiber, and processing, as well as environmental impact.
Lowest carb:
Quest Nacho Cheese Tortilla Style Protein Chips
These tortilla chips are made from ground yellow corn, sunflower oil, and protein blend.
Pros:
- Great source of protein (18g per single-serve bag)
- Certified gluten-free
- Low in saturated fat
Cons:
- Highly processed compared to the others on the list
One serving size provides:
Carbs: 5g
Fiber: 1g — 4% of the DV
Net carbs: 4g
Saturated fat: 1g — 5% of the DV
Sodium: 340mg — 15% of the DV
Allergen info: Contains: Milk. Processed in a facility that also processes soy and wheat.
Highest fiber:
The Real Coconut Organic Salt Vinegar Tortilla Chips
These organic tortilla chips are made from coconut flour and cooked in coconut oil.
Pros:
- Great source of fiber
- Certified gluten-free
- Vegan
- Organic
- No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
Cons:
- High in saturated fat (7g — 35% of DV) due to coconut oil content
One serving size provides:
Carbs: 16g
Fiber: 4g (14% of the DV)
Net Carbs: 12g
Saturated fat: 7g (35% of the DV)
Sodium: 300g (13% of the DV)
Allergen info: Coconuts
Lowest Sodium:
Siete Family Foods Grain Free No Salt Tortilla Chips With Avocado Oil
These low-carb tortilla chips are made with cassava flour, avocado oil, coconut flour, and chia seeds.
Pros:
- Sodium-free
- Certified gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Vegan
- Soy-free
Cons:
- Higher in saturated fat than others on the list due to avocado oil
- Not suitable for people with coconut allergies
One serving size provides:
Carbs: 19g
Fiber: 3g — 11% of the DV
Net carbs: 16g
Saturated fat: 2g — 10% of the DV
Sodium: 0mg — 0% of the DV
Allergen info: Coconuts
Least processed:
Hippeas Vegan Straight Up Sea Salt Tortilla Chips Organic Chickpea Snacks
These low-carb tortilla chips are made with chickpea flour, cornflour, sunflower oil, and pea fiber.
Pros:
- Great source of fiber
- Certified gluten-free
- Vegan
- Organic
- Nut-free
Cons:
- Made with a refined oil (sunflower oil)
One serving size provides:
Carbs: 14g
Fiber: 3g — 11% of the DV
Net carbs: 11g
Saturated fat: 1g — 5% of the DV
Sodium: 280mg — 12% of the DV
Allergen info: HIPPEAS® brand tortilla chops do not contain milk, soy, wheat, egg, peanut, tree nut, fish, or shellfish. HIPPEAS® products are made in facilities that contain milk and soy.
Best for the environment:
Late July Snacks Restaurant Style Jalapeno & Lime
These low-carb tortilla chips are made with whole ground corn, sunflower oil, lime oil, and jalapeno pepper extract.
Pros:
- 100% whole grain
- Low in sodium
- Certified gluten-free
- Organic
- Vegan
- No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
Cons:
- Low in fiber compared to others on the list
- Made with a refined oil (sunflower oil)
One serving size provides:
Carbs: 15g
Fiber: 1g — 4% of the DV
Net Carbs: 14g
Saturated fat: 0.5g — 3% of the DV
Sodium: 110mg — 5% of the DV
Allergen info: Made in a facility that does not process peanuts
Most nutritious:
Juanitas Gluten-Free Tortilla Chips
These low-carb tortilla chips are made with stoneground corn masa flour, lime, and canola oil or soybean oil.
Pros:
- Low in saturated fat
- Low in sodium
- Good source of fiber
Cons:
- Not suitable for people with soybean allergies
One serving size provides:
Carbs: 15g
Fiber: 3g — 11% of the DV
Net carbs: 12g
Saturated fat: 1g — 4% of the DV
Sodium: 105g — 4% of the DV
Allergen info: N/A
Key takeaways for choosing low-carb tortilla chips
No matter why you’re following a low-carb diet, shopping for a low-carb tortilla chip doesn’t have to be complicated.
When shopping for a low-carb tortilla chip aim for whole-grain options for added nutritional value. Consider choosing a chip with higher fiber content for weight and blood sugar management. When comparing different products, take into consideration each product’s sodium content, carb content, use of refined oils, and level of processing.
Next time you’re in need of low-carb tortilla chips, refer back to our list of the top 6 low-carb tortilla chips whenever you’re in need of a crunchy snack to skip the search and savor your snack time.
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***
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2 Comments
I found a brand in Sam’s Club from WildRoots called “Red Quinoa chia” organic tortilla chips with 17% carbs. Gluten free..non gmo..whole grain. Multigrain made Flax seed. The taste is awesome!
It’s nice that you compiled a list of low carb tortilla chips. I appreciate the attempt. But two problems…first, some of these are no, or not much different in net carbs than standard regular brands. Secondly, a lot of the nutritional panels/values are not readable. I cant read how many carbs and your embedded site nutritional info is useless, at least for the few I tried, there is zero carb information.
Since this is a low carb list, why wouldn’t you provide the carb count in the description and rank them by carb count? And, if you know anything about low carbing (such as Atkins), provide the fiber content as well, because Atkins works on net carbs. carbs minus fiber is net carbs.
Maybe try using your site yourself, acting as a carb conscious consumer and see if you can glean this information. A great idea, but I have to go elsewhere to see much of the info I need on the package for these products.